Virginia Beach tourism is dead.

[hardcorestitch]

People can’t have nice things. What has happened to our town.

https://www.wtkr.com/news/in-the-co...-on-temporary-9-p-m-all-age-oceanfront-curfew

 

[easyas123]

This isn't exactly new though, is it? I can recall in the 80's & 90's VA Beach & area (in general) being a little iffy.

 

[hardcorestitch]

This is a whole different animal… the gun violence we see today is much more prevalent than back then…

 

[LuvOrlando]

It's always sad when an area looses ground against violence because all the residents suffer.

Are there pockets of tough spots or are there hotspots prevalent all along the water?

 

[BrianL]

This isn't exactly new though, is it? I can recall in the 80's & 90's VA Beach & area (in general) being a little iffy.

I feel like these things are cyclical. In my town, back in the 80's our downtown night spot was a bit iffy and prone to crime - midtown became the more upscale choice. But then there was some investment in downtown and it came back up, though the square in midtown suffered a bit. For a while they were both going strong, but now there has definitely been an uptick in crime downtown again. Hopefully Va. Beach can get it under control, but it does take some effort.

 

[hardcorestitch]

It's always sad when an area looses ground against violence because all the residents suffer.

Are there pockets of tough spots or are there hotspots prevalent all along the water?

It has centered along the oceanfront… where most tourists stay in.

 

[NotUrsula]

Gulf Coast tourist cities had the same kind of curfew put into effect a few times in certain areas prior to 2005; it worked pretty well, as I recall. If the restaurants and shows issue a curfew pass, you can show it while leaving the area. I remember that entertainment places all started requiring reservations so that they didn't have queues on the sidewalks to get in, because queues are hotspots for altercations.

The key is keeping out bored criminals and volatile kids who end up clashing and preying on one another, so that bystanders don't also get hurt.

I really think that schools now need to make anger management a standard required lesson series before kids reach middle school, especially in places where street violence is becoming common. Since the pandemic, I've noticed that many youth seem to have lost (or never developed) capacity to back away from conflict and de-escalate -- they just seem to go from zero to full-on violence in seconds, and they also seem prone to go directly to firearms, rather than arguments or ordinary fistfights. Decades ago, even if a thug had a gun, he normally wouldn't pull it and fire with no warning just because some other thug called him a name, but now bullets fly over every little slight.

 

[eandt]

People can’t have nice things. What has happened to our town.

https://www.wtkr.com/news/in-the-co...-on-temporary-9-p-m-all-age-oceanfront-curfew

What has happened indeed … not just in this town but in cities all over this country … at some point I assume law abiding folks will finally say enough is enough and end this spiral.

 

[hardcorestitch]

What has happened indeed … not just in this town but in cities all over this country … at some point I assume law abiding folks will finally say enough is enough and end this spiral.

This is another factor as to why I’ve recently leaned into Disney parks as opposed to my own local amusement park… this senseless gun stuff, teen takeovers, fights, etc. Yes it can happen at parks as tame as Disney but the way the folks at Disney are handling security and issues like this are exemplary.

 

[LuvOrlando]

Whenever I scout for places to visit during the years holidays I am put off by how little effort goes into any attempt to attract local tourists.

Back in the 90s and even early 2000's towns put a lot of effort into wooing visitors and I would often go on little day trips to visit spots with things like a "Country Convention" in NJ that would charge a ticket fee but be filled with fantastic folksy items. There was making a visit out of furniture shopping in North Carolina I think, and we made a weekend out of picking out out hand crafted Amish furniture in PA. We would make a weekend out of outlet shopping in various towns. Plus there were countless well publicized festivals where a whole town joined in on the spirit. I think I would find the locations in advertisements in magazines and local papers. The day trip or weekend roadtrip was the thing to do and it must have brought so much money into the various areas. No idea why things fell flat, I show up when I discover a spot but it is is difficult to find fun places to explore these days. For years I used to buy the NY Times strictly for the travel section and would go back to buying newspapers if they started sharing that stuff again, I miss the fun of it.

 

[hardcorestitch]

The 9:30 curfew is so bad that your Saturday night at Peabody’s is cancelled. A cafe in the area is going 25+ after 5pm as well.

 

[eandt]

The 9:30 curfew is so bad that your Saturday night at Peabody’s is cancelled. A cafe in the area is going 25+ after 5pm as well.

Instead of just dealing with the lawless few

 

[mylilnikita]

I live in Newport News and it seems like everywhere I used to hang out or love has become worse.
.I even recall 89 Greek fest Riots in Va beach

So for this weekend and next the all age curfew is in effect. 2 of the suspects from the last incident were from Henrico.

Now it seems Norfolk is wanting to cancel First Fridays .

Va beach is going have to figure it out because when tourist season starts this winter be a solution.

 

[hardcorestitch]

I live in Newport News and it seems like everywhere I used to hang out or love has become worse.
.I even recall 89 Greek fest Riots in Va beach

So for this weekend and next the all age curfew is in effect. 2 of the suspects from the last incident were from Henrico.

Now it seems Norfolk is wanting to cancel First Fridays .

Va beach is going have to figure it out because when tourist season starts this winter be a solution.

Perhaps a Disneyfication à la Times Square may be needed at this point to weed out those thug criminals… maybe put some Disney Resorts Collection hotels at or in range of the oceanfront. I know D’Amaroland doesn’t have that on his priority, but then again… when you wish upon a star…

 

[eandt]

I live in Newport News and it seems like everywhere I used to hang out or love has become worse.
.I even recall 89 Greek fest Riots in Va beach

So for this weekend and next the all age curfew is in effect. 2 of the suspects from the last incident were from Henrico.

Now it seems Norfolk is wanting to cancel First Fridays .

Va beach is going have to figure it out because when tourist season starts this winter be a

We don’t have to live this way

 

[eandt]

Perhaps a Disneyfication à la Times Square may be needed at this point to weed out those thug criminals… maybe put some Disney Resorts Collection hotels at or in range of the oceanfront. I know D’Amaroland doesn’t have that on his priority, but then again… when you wish upon a star…

See TS the other night? Easy to solve but it will be a tad messy

 

[hardcorestitch]

Apparently someone who was IN THEIR OWN APARTMENT during the 9:30pm window was arrested. No trouble! Just enjoying their evening.
https://www.wtkr.com/news/in-the-co...opped-during-first-weekend-of-9-30-p-m-curfew

 

[tink2424]

Apparently someone who was IN THEIR OWN APARTMENT during the 9:30pm window was arrested. No trouble! Just enjoying their evening.
https://www.wtkr.com/news/in-the-co...opped-during-first-weekend-of-9-30-p-m-curfew

Where was that mentioned as I didn't see that in the article? I did see it said someone was arrested for smoking outside their apartment (which to be fair does seem excessive) but not IN their own apartment. Did you attach the wrong article?

 

[easyas123]

Yeah, I'm not sure the article gives enough info, just says the person was OUTSIDE of their apartment. Where they on private property or public? That could make a huge difference, as could their response to the situation.

 

[hardcorestitch]

Where was that mentioned as I didn't see that in the article? I did see it said someone was arrested for smoking outside their apartment (which to be fair does seem excessive) but not IN their own apartment. Did you attach the wrong article?

Ah, I see… so she was outside… brain fart!